Know Before You Go

Know Before You Go for All Saint's Day, Nov 1.

You Are Called to Be a Saint.

Many of us grew up learning that All Saints Day is a holy day of obligation, a day you "had to go to church." But it is something much, much greater than an obligation.

In this week's Know Before You Go, Father Justus Pokrzewinski of St. Pius V Church in Chicago prepares us for the Solemnity of All Saints with two key points:

1. The name "All Saints." Yes, it includes the canonized saints we know and pray to, such as St. Anthony, St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Veronica, and St. Teresa of Avila. But it also includes the holy ones of the Old Testament, St. John the Baptist, and the millions of non-canonized saints whose names we don't know but who are in heaven with God. And it includes us. We're not there yet, but we are on the way.

2. The Gospel for the day. The Church chose St. Matthew's Sermon on the Mount and the eight Beatitudes. Jesus sat down to teach his disciples, and that's you and me. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." What does that mean for how we live, how we give, and how we depend on Jesus?

Father Justus also confronts a common attitude: that priests and sisters are called to be holy, while "ordinary Catholics" just try to live well enough to get to heaven. That's not true. There is no ordinary Catholic. Every baptized person is called by God to be holy, as St. Francis de Sales taught in Introduction to the Devout Life and as the Second Vatican Council proclaimed. Whether you're a bishop running a diocese, a monk working in the field, or a parent caring for a sick child in the middle of the night, that is your path to holiness.

Drawing on the example of Archbishop Fulton Sheen's daily hour of adoration, Father Justus offers practical ways to grow in holiness: making your work and family life part of your prayer, reading Scripture, and receiving the sacraments, especially Holy Communion and Confession.

"See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. And so we are." (1 John 3:1)

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
0:02 – Welcome to Know Before You Go
0:20 – More than a holy day of obligation
0:50 – Two key points for All Saints Day
0:57 – Who are "All Saints"? Canonized, Old Testament, and unknown saints
1:53 – We're not there yet, but we're on the way
2:15 – The Gospel: the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes
2:49 – "Blessed are the poor in spirit"
3:44 – There is no "ordinary Catholic"
4:21 – St. Francis de Sales: all are called, in different ways
5:15 – The Second Vatican Council and the universal call to holiness
5:23 – "Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God"
5:48 – Archbishop Fulton Sheen and practical steps to holiness
6:29 – "We may be called the children of God"
6:45 – What is a saint? Closing blessing

📖 Readings for the Solemnity of All Saints
First Reading: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-3
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12a

⛪ Know Before You Go is a weekly series from St. Pius V Church in Chicago that walks you through the upcoming Sunday and feast day readings so you can arrive at Mass prepared to hear the Word of God more deeply.

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